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Each Major country is controlled by a human player or the computer, or is designated neutral and then acts as a Minor country.

Hotseat play is possible, with an option to limit to 4.00 minutes the playing time per player.

Each game turn represents roughly one of the 4 seasons. Winter is a special one, with limited movements, severe weather conditions and restricted actions.

Game lasts till scenario victory conditions are achieved or when the three Viking powers have converted to Christianity. Starting with the year 700 AD, it will last till shortly after 1100 AD or earlier (if the player is eliminated or becomes Christian).

Scenarios: game offers 3 scenarios, each starting at a decisive turn point in history: 700 AD (start of Viking Age), 850 AD (the apex of Viking expansion) and 1000 AD (the last major conquests of the Vikings and Northmen)

Each turn has main phases, e.g.

• Build Phase (not in winter for most) with: Warrior & Ships Construction, Fortification, Raids, Discoveries, Trade, Espionage, Sale of Mercenaries (Winter only),

• Movement Phase (land & sea),

• and Combat Phase.

Gameplay of each phase is rather simple and straightforward, as follows:

• Army and Navy Constructions (Not in winter): Create new warriors and ships in your castles (and only there)

• Fortification: Fortify army units (except in Castles which are already fortified).

• Sale of Mercenaries (winter only): sell your idle warriors to neighbors and earn gold for them. After a year of service, the survivors come home and are available again. When on service abroad, they add to the defense of regions they are sent to.

• Espionage (Not in winter): Learn the approximate (not always accurate) army strength and the income of a Minor country or of a region controlled by a Major country. And the region’s VP value

• Trade (Not in winter): Spend money to establish trading posts in foreign lands and receive continuous extra income from trade (till your trade post is destroyed or you conquer the region they are in).

• Raid (Not in winter): Send ships (no need of warriors, the crews will do well) to raid enemy regions. You may earn great amounts of gold by plundering them, but beware of exhaustion (the more a region is looted, the less it brings rewards) and counter-attacks

• Movement Phase (All turns): Move warriors to adjacent regions only. Move ships alone or with warriors from one port to another up to three regions at a time (or carry warriors to amphibious landings on enemy holdings). You can move up to 6 different groups (plus one extra for each castle you own).

• Combat Phase (All turns): up to 6 rounds of battle; each consists of naval (if ships are present) then land battles. Combat is simultaneous and the Vikings get a slight advantage when attacking from the sea.

• Fight the expansion of the Franks, Byzantines and Arabs, and their nasty counter-attacks if you seize some of their regions.

• and remember to care about the weather, from deadly tempests to freezing winters!